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My Nokia e71 has been through alot, it is without a doubt one of the best phones I’ve ever had, surviving an underwater adventure in Mexico which knocked it out for three weeks but coming back and working like a champ.    It’s been almost two years since I got it however, and since submerging it in the swimming pool at Puerto Vallarta I have been looking at options for upgrading.    For a time, I was ready to jump ship from TMobile to Verizon and get a Droid or a Droid X, and even considered an iPhone on ATT’s shady network  (shudder).   When I found out about the TMobile G2, momentum swung back to TMobile, and remained that way as news broke of the Nexus S.   Yesterday, while reading about the buzz created by dual-core devices at the recent 2011 CES, I discovered the LG Optimus 2X, and was sold almost instantly.   The decision has been made – although I will have to wait 4-8 weeks, I am officially holding out for this one.

First, I’ll break down what I perceive as the weaknesses/dealbreakers for the (now former) contenders:

iPhone 4 on ATT – well that’s easy.   After briefly owning an iPhone 3g in 2008 (which turned out to be a lemon), and having what was undoubtedly the worst customer service experience of a lifetime, there is no way I will ever patronize ATT again.

iPhone 4 on Verizon – two reasons:  a)  CMDA vs GSM is a no-brainer, and b)  long term  contract + outrageous monthly fees

Droid / Droid X / Droid Pro on Verizon – long term  contract + outrageous monthly fees

HTC Evo on Sprint – long term  contract + this phone just seems too big

TMobile G2 on TMobile – I was really tempted to get this one and would have paid full price to have an unlocked, contract free set, but ultimately decided against it due to the lackluster processor (Qualcomm MSM 7230 at 800MHz)

Google Nexus One – when I found out about the lame processor in the G2, I seriously considered getting a new Nexus One by becoming a certified Android Developer ($25), however I just couldn’t bring myself to get this as it is now one year old technology.

Google Nexus S – Really nice phone, however it is lacking some key features – HDMI, removable SD card, and by the time it hit the market I had my eye on dual core processor phones, which brings me to the winner:

LG Optimus 2x – this thing is just a beast: dual-core Tegra 2 1Ghz processor, full 1080p TV-out via HDMI and video capture through an 8 megapixel primary camera plus a 1.3 megapixel cam for face-to-face calling, 4-inch WVGA display, 8GB of on-board storage (expandable with up to 32GB of microSD) and a 1,500mAh battery.  Battery capacity is a potential issue given all the aforementioned shizzle this phone is running, but that’s a risk I am willing to take.

I’m sold.  Only question is should I hold out for the rumored launch on TMobile in February, or pre-order now from CellHut.com, unlocked for $519?